


Quiet

by SereGlavenus



Category: The Dog Island
Genre: Angst, Everyone is a dog because that's the game, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 19:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30060729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SereGlavenus/pseuds/SereGlavenus
Summary: There was only one sick dog that Dr. Potan couldn't save.
Relationships: Dr. Potan/Dr. Potan's Girlfriend





	Quiet

**Author's Note:**

> hi I suddenly got the inspiration to write this out of nowhere and figured anyone looking for The Dog Island stuff might appreciate it, since this fandom isn't exactly massive. have fun :p

Dr. Potan wakes up startled, dread sinking its claws into his body. His eyes dart straight to the bed in the clinic, its occupant still and quiet, and he panics. 

Despite his years of renown as a doctor, he only calms down when she opens her eyes. Though her look betrays concern and tiredness, she is undoubtedly alive, and that's enough for him. He blinks away his own sleepiness and turns away to bring her new medication. This time will be it, he hopes: she'll be cured soon, able to laugh and smile and stand up straight.

She takes the pills and then closes her eyes again without a word, and Potan prays it will be enough. He sits and stays in her presence, watching her in case things turn awry.

Knock knock.

The door opens, and he realises how long he's been sat staring at her, wallowing in his own emotions. She rarely even looks at him now, and he wonders if she's lost faith in his abilities as a doctor, though it's not his place to ask right now. He's going to make her better, him alone, and everything will be alright. He gathers himself, tears his eyes from the bed and sees the witch waiting for him.

"Ah, Obaba. How can I help you?" he asks with unexpected composure.  
"I've come to see the sick girl," she informs him, and he tenses.  
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary."  
His assurances don't seem to deter the aging woman. He'd made it clear before that her help isn't needed or even useful, but Obaba is stubborn and it's starting to wear him down.  
"I'm sorry, doctor, but her parents asked me to visit. I've heard her condition is worsening," she explains.

He reluctantly allows her in at the mention of parents. He didn't trust in her old-fashioned ways in the slightest, but perhaps accepting her help wouldn't be so bad.

"She's not going to get better like this. Your treatment is affecting her badly," she says, and he abruptly changes his mind.  
Who is this woman to say he can't save her? There was no sick dog he couldn't cure. His girlfriend could not - and would not - be the exception. His treatment would work and that was that; what kind of doctor would he be if she, of all people, was the only one he couldn't save?

He's arguing with Obaba before he even realises it's started. Perhaps an onlooker would tell him that he's petty, or overconfident, or doesn't have his priorities straight, but that can't be right because he just wants to protect her. As the skilled doctor, he is the authority on her best way forward, and the old lady's herbs and nonsense could never measure up to him.

He's so busy defending himself that doesn't notice when his patient turns truly silent.

* * *

_Dr. Potan's had too many nightmares about her death, and when he wakes to her eyes again, he feels overwhelming relief. It's not real. It was never real. The evidence is right in front of him, and he can relax knowing that she's still holding on. She's even standing up and steady on her paws, now, and if he hadn't put so much confidence in his abilities he might have called it a miracle._

_She frowns at him, and he realises how sickly she still looks, but that's okay. Not completely healing overnight is expected, and she's still getting better, and her parents will be overjoyed. He asks if she's feeling well, but she doesn't speak to him, and he starts to feel anxious - he'd hoped that her recovery would return things to how they used to be. Wanting to ensure her safety, he approaches her through increasingly blurred surroundings, but she only seems to dissolve further into the distance..._

The doctor opened his eyes and looked to the bed. It was still and quiet, but this time it's because it was empty. Nurse Francis stood behind the counter, likely organising some paperwork, and although he stretched he still felt stiff.

"Good morning, Doctor," she called from the other side.  
He nodded at her, but didn't otherwise address her. Today was that day again, so it was no surprise that he had that dream, but it didn't make it any less draining to wake up from. As he made to leave the building, he registered Francis asking where he might be going, but all he managed was a vague "somewhere else"- It's not her burden to bear, after all, and she'd probably just tell him to let go.

He wasn't ready to let go. In all the months that passed, the weight of regret only sank deeper into his bones, and the ghost of a girl still haunted his dreams. He wished so, so badly that he could see her again from the second her blood went cold. That wish stayed with him even as her body went into the soil, and a part of him knew it was pointless, too late, but he just couldn't bring himself to move on. Couldn't truly face the people he hadn't listened to.

He let his feet carry him to the meadows outside Pupsville. Even though the route through Treely Woods was more convenient, he refused to use it that day - it was newly constructed, and a path her feet never walked upon. The wild animals seemed to shy away from him, as if they recognised his state of mind, and he was infinitely thankful for that fact. It saved the young apprentices fretting over him... especially Maria, whose little brother seemed to have an all-too-familiar condition.

It wasn't long before he was finally crouched in front of the gravestone, placing a fresh flower upon her place of eternal rest. He stood there in silence, time but a distant memory, instead keeping the memory of her alive. That illusion shattered, though, when he heard footsteps rustling the grass behind him. He recognised that quick, youthful step, and knew already that he'd been discovered.

"Maria...? Is that you?" he spoke, tentative.

When he wasn't given a response, he turned to see her wide eyes staring back. He sighs.

"Could you give me just a second?"


End file.
